South Korea says no change to its position that US pays for #THAAD defence system

SEOUL (REUTERS) - US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Seoul pay for the Thaad advanced US missile defence system would be an “impossible option,” a top foreign policy adviser to South Korean presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in said on Friday (April 28). Trump told Reuters in an interview on Thursday he wants South Korea to pay for the US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad ) system. “Even if we purchase Thaad , its main operation would be in the hands of the United States,” said Kim Ki-jung, a foreign policy adviser to Moon and professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University. “So purchasing it would be an impossible option. That was our topic when we were considering the options,” Kim said. Moon is leading polls by a wide margin ahead of a May 9 election to replace impeached former President Park Geun-hye, whose government agreed last year ...